Weather Forecast

It's not time to build the ark yet, but rains continue

Severe weather hit a good share of Minnesota on Sunday. Thankfully it held off until most of us had had a chance to enjoy most of Father's Day. A tornado was reported 11 miles northeast of Wheaton at about 7 pm Sunday. Also, a second tornado was reported by trained spotters five miles east of Wheaton. A tornado was also reported near the Dawson area.

In addition, large hail did a great deal of damage across the region. The Hancock area reported 1.75" diameter hail. Starbuck noted 1.25" diameter hail. Also, 76 mph winds were reported at Appleton. Strong winds did damage from Herman, Milan, Willmar, Kandiyohi, to Cosmos. Power outages were also reported across parts of west central and central Minnesota due to down trees that toppled power lines. Heavy rain was also reported across much of the southern two-thirds of Minnesota on Sunday. This added to flooding concerns around the state.

More rain fell early in the week and continued through the midweek. The good news is that drier air should return by Saturday and Sunday. I know many people who are doing construction projects and other outdoor activities, really need some dry conditions to complete these projects. Farmers, of course, would like to see some nice conditions as well so that they can complete some of their projects as well. At this stage it looks like a drier pattern will return just in time for the weekend. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Weather history

This week in weather history back in 1939 a tornado hit the city of Anoka. The tornado left nine people killed and over 200 injured.

Weather fact

Tornadoes are nature's most violent storms. They are spawned from powerful thunderstorms, tornadoes can cause fatalities and devastate a neighborhood in seconds."